When an investor has purchased gold bullion as a form of investment, and the time has come to liquidate some or all of that investment, how would the investor go about selling off some or all of their gold holdings? The most likely answer to that might be by contacting the same broker they used for the purchase unless, of course, the gold bullion for sale was purchased from a private party. The dealer or broker would simply offer the seller the current market price less the amount of the brokers’ fees or commissions.

However, there are times when selling it back to a brokerage house does not feel like the best way to liquidate. It may be the cost of shipping the gold is to high, or the fees and commissions are more than the seller wishes to incur. It could be that the seller is looking for a quick sale. For those times, and many other reasons, more options may then include finding a local dealer and going directly to their brick and mortar location with the gold bullion in tow. Perhaps the seller may even wish to use an online auction service and sell the commodity directly by auction. Attending trade shows specifically for gold and silver traders is one other option.

Having a good firm knowledge base is very important when selling gold bullion privately. The current trading price for gold may be found by visiting the market trading page or most brokerage houses’ home pages on their internet web sites. A person can see what gold sold for at the close of the market on any given day. They can investigate the market trends, because that might become powerful information when the transaction is ready to close. The seller will need to be familiar with the facts of the bullion that will affect the re-sale price of the gold. Those facts include:

Purity - Gold bullion bars and rolled bullion disks are stamped with the purity of the gold, which is usually stated as .999 or even up to .9999 percent purity. Rarely, if ever, would the bar be stamped using the percentage sign (%). The purity of the gold impacts the value. When checking for purity, the more nines behind the dot, the higher the purity of the metal.

Weight - How much does the gold bullion weigh? Because it is valued by a given amount per gram or per troy ounce, the seller will need to know how much it weighs – exactly how much it weighs.

Authenticity - When the original investor first acquired the gold bullion there may have been a certificate of authenticity included with the gold. If so, that should be provided to the new buyer when the gold is transferred.

Is there a premium for Collector’s Value? - Coins or rolled bullion disks are sold in the same manner as the gold bullion bars or ingots. However, the seller should know whether the coins are of collector’s value though as that may add a premium to the value of the coin. The rarity of the coin itself may influence the value to be well above the current market rate for the gold itself.

Gold Bullion For Sale – The Secondary Market

Coin Dealers

Coin dealers are often a good source of selling gold bullion. They are knowledgeable of the item, stay current on the market prices, and may even charge lower commissions than the bigger distributors. Small but reputable coin dealers may usually be found in larger communities.

Trade Shows

Another option when planning on selling gold bullion on the private market is to take it to trade shows. The people who attend these events are serious buyers and sellers who know their information, so be prepared to know your information as well. One advantage of selling at a trade show is that those who attend are prepared to make purchase on the spot, and are ready to make a fast purchase with money in hand.

Online Auctions

Online auction services are inexpensive ways to list gold bullion for sale. eBay online auction service even offers the occasional free listing; so sellers may be able to put up for sale their gold quickly without incurring large sales fees.

Whether an investor has gold bullion in the form of bars, ingots or rolled coins, it is a fairly simple process to sell the gold. As gold bullion is sold in standard weights and is stamped with the percentage of purity, the current market prices are easy to find. Knowing this information speeds the process and may allow the successful sale and transfer of the gold bullion bars for sale to flow smoothly.

Supervised Sales

When selling gold on the secondary market using online methods, both the buyer and seller should be in favor of using an escrow type service to facilitate the sale and exchange of the purchase price and the gold bullion. The escrow service will not distribute the gold until they are certain that the funds used to pay for the gold are indeed available. Only then would they distribute both the money to the seller and the gold to the buyer. To help insure against fraudulent sales, large quantity gold sales should be monitored and the transaction should be completed through a reputable escrow service.

Whatever a collectors’ reason for having gold bullion for sale, by taking care, using common sense and proceeding slowly and with caution, a successful transaction can be accomplished. Reasons for any sale are private and unique to the individual selling, and there is no reason or need to share that reason with anyone. It is simply a personal choice.